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Millions fly into effort to repeal plastic-bag ban

Election 2014 may be over, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the next campaign.

It looks like California’s next ballot will be filled with more big-ticket ballot measures, including an effort to repeal a statewide ban on plastic bags signed by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this year.

California became the first state in the nation to ban the bags, though cities and localities across the country have taken up the cause. In California, more than 100 cities and counties have passed bag bans, points out Grassroots Labs’ Mike Madrid.

That may be part of the reason a pair of recent statewide polls show wide support for eliminating the use of single-use plastic bags at retail and grocery stores.

But manufacturers are prepared to fight. Plastic bag manufacturers have poured $2.7 million into efforts to overturn California’s statewide ban on plastic bags in the seven weeks since Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill

Opponents have enlisted paid armies of signature collectors in an effort to gather the more than 500,000 signatures needed to put the referendum on the November 2016 ballot.

Even if it qualifies, a repeal could face long odds. A recent poll from the Los Angeles times showed 60% of state voters support the ban.